Get a 2nd passport with a golden visa in Portugal with real estate opportunities and travel objectives? Why live and invest in Portugal ? Because is one of the major touristic attractions of Europe and the perfect retirement home! What is Portugal’s Golden Visa Program Definition & History? The Golden Visa Portugal is an investor visa program designed to attract foreign capital and business people in exchange for residency and, after 5 years, citizenship. Portugal launched the Program 2012 and by today the program attracted more than 4,4 billion EUR and more than 7200 investors. 95% of this amount has been invested in real estate. The applicants must invest in real estate for at least 500’000 EUR for 5 years. The majority of applicants are coming from China followed by Brazil, South Africa, Turkey, Russia and Lebanon.
The initial application is now submitted online, including copies of the supporting documentation. After the request is approved by Serviço de Fronteiras e Estrangeiros (SEF), you will have to appear in person for an interview. Initially, the interview would take place in the district where the investment was made. Nowadays, however, SEF will allow you to book the interview in any district of your choice. This change has helped reduce the waiting time overall, especially in the more popular districts such as Lisbon and Faro. At the end of year 4, another renewal process takes place. It is virtually identical to the process at the end of year 2.
In order to be eligible for the scheme you must conduct an investment activity either as an individual or a company set up in Portugal or another EU Member State, meet the time requirements above and do one of the following: Purchase real estate property with a value of at least 500,000€ (five hundred thousand euros) or 400,000€ (four hundred thousand euros) for the Algarve as it is classed as a low-density area. See more info at Get a 2nd passport with a golden visa in Portugal.
Established in 2012, Portugal’s Golden Residence Permit Program (ARI) enables non-EU/EEA citizens to obtain a special residence permit in exchange for a 5-year investment in Portugal. What’s unique about the permit is that the investor only has to spend about seven days per year in Portugal to maintain the residency, while still reaping all the benefits of being an EU resident—including visa-free travel in the entire Schengen area. By far the leading share of Golden Visas have been issued to Chinese nationals (although their share has been declining recently), followed by Brazilian, South African, Turkish, and Russian citizens.
Initiated in 2012, the Portuguese Government’s Golden Visa Scheme has reportedly seen nearly 5 billion euros already invested into the country and over 8,000 third country nationals granted temporary residence permits (14,000 people if you take into account their direct dependents). It is easy to see why it has been so successful as Portugal, with its warm climate, gorgeous beaches, fine cuisine and laid-back attitude, remains an extremely attractive proposition for those looking to live, retire or invest abroad. Find more details at here.